Readers of Vietnam magazine will recall our Spring 2023 “Reflections” story featuring the recollections of Laurel Lea Schaefer-Bozoukoff, Miss America 1972, of her wartime tour of Vietnam and Thailand to entertain troops with the USO. In the story, “The Last Miss America in Vietnam,” Laurel described the three-week tour, the joys she found among the soldiers and sailors, even amid the perils of an active war zone, and the powerful effect it had on her.
Laurel’s story caught the eye of the Vietnam Veterans of America. On Aug. 12, 2023, the VVA awarded Laurel their prestigious “President’s Award for Supporting the Troops
